


Sagittarius

by subducting



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Fantasy AU, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-01-06 04:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subducting/pseuds/subducting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Sagittarius, the ninth sign, is the home of the wanderers of the zodiac."</p><p>In San Francisco, tucked safely into a corner, is an academy like no other. It's home to an assorted band of creatures, learning about themselves, their powers and the myriad wonders and terrors of the world around them. It's a world that's a lot bigger than any of them ever dreamed.<br/>Leonard McCoy hasn't been a werewolf for very long, and he doesn't exactly "trust" anyone at the academy- least of all himself. But when the full moon transforms you into a raging monster wolf-beast, you don't exactly have a lot of options, and working at an academy for the weird and wonderful has better job security than most other things. It's the life-security Len needs to worry about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pike Pulls a Dumbledore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard makes new friends and leaves Iowa.
> 
>  
> 
> ***
> 
> Thought I'd post this as my Christmas present for you guys. Ahah.. Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy this. Thanks always to Nikita for her input and for listening to me witter.

_It felt like running away._

_Hell, he couldn’t even kid himself, he was running away. It felt worse than running away -he felt like a damn criminal, shoving clothes into a holdall in the dead of night, trying to be quiet so as to not wake his sleeping wife. The arguments over his condition had torn their relationship to shreds, and right now his only priority was making sure it didn’t do the same to her. Leonard’s lip was quivering as he stroked her hair and kissed her once more on the temple before leaving. He stopped outside his daughter’s bedroom, hovering for a moment. He tried to imagine that he could see her expression, that the little girl was sleeping peacefully and that she couldn’t hear her mum and dad fighting. In reality he couldn’t even resolve her among the tangle of blankets._

_Outside, it was still dark, the air filled with the light of the waxing moon. He threw it a scowl as it light caressed his face tauntingly, turning the scar visible under the neck of his buttoned-down shirt into a fissure or an ocean trench. He didn’t have a clue where he was going to go, but as he fled the street he had the feeling that he wasn’t going to be coming back any time soon. The bus station, frustratingly, was the other side of town, so his walk through the chill December predawn just gave him more time to turn over in his head the full gravity of the situation. A few months ago, his life had turned from a regular country doctor’s to a full blown hideous nightmare, and Leonard acknowledged that it was time he tried to start a new one._

_His mourning for the one he left behind lulled him into sad, restless dreams as the bus slid away into the night._

***

The final appointment of Len’s day was being buzzed in now, and he was glad it was the last. He was still feeling fatigued and tired, and he really just wanted to go home and sleep. Thus far, no-one at the clinic had noticed the fact that he demanded his three days off a month be on the full moon, or that he looked ill immediately afterwards. He worked through it, but he really wished he didn’t have to- he was so exhausted that when his patient knocked, he didn’t even bother lifting his head out of his hand as he called him in. The door opened and he forced himself to sit up behind the desk, attempting to pull together a professional smile but managing nothing more than what at best could have been described as a grimace. The man who had stepped into his office smiled back, in a guarded manner much like McCoy’s own.

“Hi there, sir,” he said, taking the seat that McCoy offered him with a gesture. He did so, looking vaguely worried, examining him through eyes that looked simultaneously too young and too old for the fifty-something. “You look ill, doctor,” he commented, as McCoy pulled up his notes. Len snorted gracelessly- the statement was amusing on at least two levels.

“I’m flattered by your concern, Mr-“ he glanced at the screen- “Pike, but I assure you I’m in perfect working condition, so you may as well get started telling me how I can help.”

Pike chuckled, looking for all the world like a perfectly healthy man. Perhaps a little tired, and with more lines than a man of his age should have had, but nothing off in that way. He tried to ignore what his other senses were telling him- when he was diagnosing, he didn’t like to rely on the jacked up joke of a superpower- but his nose was tickling in an unusual and urgent manner. Something about Mr Christopher Pike wasn’t quite as it seemed, and McCoy adjusted his position every so casually, making it a little easier for himself to move if needed be. The man had an air that was simultaneously disarming and authoritative- something in patients that irritated McCoy slightly. He was the one in control of the situation; he needed to feel like he remained so.

“To be blunt, doctor, I’m in perfect health. I’ve come to talk to you.” Len’s eyebrows shot almost all the way off his forehead at this blunt admission, before his expression fell into a particularly crabby scowl.

“Well I’m glad to hear it, but if there’s nothing wrong with you then I’m afraid we’ve nothing to discuss, and to be honest, I’d be perfectly happy to leave early, so-“ he had gotten up and walked around the desk, walking past the unmoving non-patient and yanking on the door handle. To his surprise, the door didn’t open. “The hell?” he muttered crossly, turning his back on the other man to rattle the handle.

“Doctor,” said the man said, in a worryingly calm tone, and McCoy rounded on him.

 “Did you lock this?” he demanded, jabbing at the door with a finger, “because let me tell you now I don’t have time for any bullshit.” He wasn’t threatened, particularly- Pike was a lot smaller than him- but perhaps a little confused as to how the man had managed to come by the keys to the office. The man nodded, grinning a little sheepishly.

“Sorry, Leonard, but I need you to hear me out before-“ McCoy ignored him and stomped back round the table to use the intercom.

“Marie?” he said, scowling at the now sighing Pike. Speaking once again, he wondered why the receptionist wasn’t responding, transferring his irritated glare to the phone. He was about to try again (this time with curses) when the room’s other occupant coughed and drew breath as if he was going to speak. Slowly, he looked back at Pike, whose expression seemed to be hovering somewhere between guilt and amusement. McCoy lowered the phone back onto the hook and groaned extensively, running a hand across his face. “Okay, get going with the spiel then, so I can get home,” he grumbled, deducing from the display so far that it would be quicker to just hear the man out.

“I want to talk to you about your condition, Doctor,” he said easily, and McCoy frowned.

 “I don’t ha-“ he began, before Christopher cut him off: “I meant the lycanthrophy.”

There was a very heavy silence, during which the primary emotion running through the doctor was shock. Pike was looking at him with the manner of a teacher who was waiting for a student to admit to something they both knew he had done. Skipping past unease and concern, Leonard jumped from his chair in a panic, and his movement was mirrored by the other man.

“Leonard, please,” he said, holding his hands out defensively as he took a couple of steps back from the wild-eyed doctor, who was torn between attempting an escape through the window or knocking Pike out and _then_ escaping. He hadn’t realised it, but he had grabbed a syringe from the table and was holding it like a knife.

“Look, I’m not going to tell anyone or do anything,” said the stranger in a compelling tone, “I just want you to listen, and then I’ll leave.”

“How do I know that?” barked McCoy, tossing the needle onto the desk (where the point snapped off and spun across the plastic like a compass needle), “How do I know some hunter or other isn’t on their way here now?”

It was Pike’s turn to laugh- a comforting chuckle that made the man’s heart ache to trust him. “Would I have given you this much warning if that was my game?” he asked. McCoy had to concede that point- but he wouldn’t concede it outloud- but he was already being spoken to again. “And in any case, Doctor, that would be as bad for me as it would for you.” He waved his hand and the broken syringe rose from the desk, to Leonard’s utter astonishment. The needle fitted neatly back into the end of it and it landed in Pike’s hand, who walked back towards the desk and held it out to the gaping doctor. Slowly, he stepped forwards and took it, still staring at the man’s twinkling eyes and smile. Numbly, he put the object carefully back onto the desk and flopped back into his seat, raking his hand through his hair. Pike sat as well, and there was a click from the door and a beep from the telephone.

“I take it you’ve never seen magic actually performed before?” asked the man, a chuckle still dancing in his tone, which prompted McCoy’s sarcasm to kick back in instantaneously.

“What gave it away?” he drawled, yanking open a drawer and pulling out a flask.

“Doctor, I’ve come to offer you something I can imagine you’re rather in need of.” McCoy rolled his eyes, metal already in his teeth.

“What’s that?” he asked, before taking a deep swig as Pike replied.

“A home.”

Len almost choked on his embittered laughter, re-emerging spluttering from behind the small container with an incredulous expression. “I ain’ got a home, and I’m doing better for it,” he said heatedly, and Christopher sighed.

“Would a job offer be better? A permanent one, where you could stay in the same place for more than a few months and not have to worry about excusing time off work. There’s places in the world for people like you and me doctor, but let me tell you, Iowa is not one of them.” This earned a laugh from the doctor.

“What kinda place?”

The man’s expression twitched into a grin and became subtlety more animated. “We’re actually something of a school, primarily. Sagittarius, we’re called. You’ll study for three years or so, general stuff about the supernatural world- and for you, presumably, medical aspects of different species and so on. Then when you graduate, you can work with us.” Len blinked.

“Work doin’ what?”  

“Sagittarius is a branch of a sort of.. peacekeeping force in the supernatural world. We establish treaties, handle interactions between various species and realms. Kinda like a superpowered UN, I guess.”

Len pursed his lips and shrugged. “You know what? Whatever, I’ll come.” Pike’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Len very nearly laughed at the man’s shock.

“Just like that?”

McCoy shrugged. “The hell not? Like you said, Iowa ‘aint exactly the premiere supernatural spot in the whole world. And in any case I’m not plannin’ on staying here much longer. It doesn’t half get tricky to keep explainin’ why I’m always sick around full moon.” There was only a tinge of bitterness at the tail end of his sentence and he saw Pike catch it. He looked a little like he wanted to ask something, but the doctor was avoiding his gaze and the man could take a hint.

“Allright. Meet me in the parking lot of the general store at seven tomorrow,” he said, and McCoy felt safe to look back at the man to nod. The older man nodded and stood up, crossing to the door and leaving with a final smile. Len sat at the desk and prodded the needle with a closed expression, thinking hard.

***

The next morning, Len had gathered everything back into the same holdall he’d fled with less than six months ago and was staggering to the car park, knuckling his forehead and cursing his idiot self for thinking that drinking when he had to be up at the crack of stupid was a good idea. The first thing he noticed was the minibus that Pike was lent against, and the second was the small gaggle of people in and around it. He hadn’t been in the town near long enough to recognise many faces, but there were one or two who he might have seen before. Pike waved him over and he loped through the crowd of people- mostly who were younger than him- to give the man a tight grin.

“Didn’ realise this was gonna be a social event,” he mumbled, as the man took in his dishevelled state. Wordlessly, Pike turned his hand and offered McCoy a steaming coffee that hadn’t been there a moment ago. He took it with a mumble of thanks and set about getting through as much of it as he could, listening to Pike talking quietly with the other people surrounding them.

“It’s a long trip, all the way up in San Fransisco,” he was saying, and a woman with a bobbed haircut and a short, curvy frame asked “Why there?” Pike twitched a grin and shrugged.

“Plenty reasons. It’s well connected to the city’s black market and the place we’re based happened to be along a leyline. And the city’s big enough to head into now and again without getting noted.” There were a few murmurs and the doctor snorted.

“What about hunters?” he grunted into his coffee. The group’s mood changed rapidly, with most of the kids getting slightly uneasy looks or grimacing, and a few more looked slightly clueless, which was unbelievable and worrying- he was new to the supernatural world and even he knew about being careful. Pike, to his credit, remained unruffled and just said

“We have extensive safety measures, Doctor McCoy, which you’ll see when we arrive. It’s certainly a lot safer than Iowa, I can tell you that much,” he said, echoing his joke from the previous day and gaining a small chuckle from the group. “Now since our last man’s here, I suggest we get going.” McCoy drained his coffee and crossed the lot to toss the cup in the bin before returning to climb on the bus. Glancing around at the excited gabble, he sighed and went to flop into the last remaining spare seat on the bus. The kid next to him gave him a cursory smile and said “You know, this place we’re going’s meant to be pretty safe.” McCoy snorted and yanked his seatbelt on, going for his flask on the anticipation of this being an exceedingly long ride.

“I don’t even care anyway,” he informed the young man bluntly, pulling on the whiskey and grimacing. “I’m only here because I’ve got nowhere else to go.” He took another big drink and the blonde haired boy’s face twitched with a tiny, sad smile. “I think that’s true for a lot of us,” he said, and McCoy immediately felt vaguely guilty. He offered the boy his flask, wondering as he looked at him properly if those ridiculously blue eyes were part of the kid’s supernatural powers or if he was just genetically gifted.

“Jim Kirk,” the young man said, but the doctor was distracted by the blood on his shirt, so for a few moments as the bus rattled to life, he didn’t register why the name was familiar. Then, as Jim handed the flask back to him, he realised he’d heard the name before.

In the time he’d been working at the hospital- less than three full months- Jim Kirk had been referred no fewer than fourteen times.

Looking at the constellations of bruises and drying blood across the young man’s face, the doctor formed an educated guess as to why.


	2. Pit Stop Trainwreck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCoy gets to know some of the other waifs and strays, and breakfast becomes a lot more eventful than everyone would like.

 

“The hell does a damned phoenix end up in Iowa?”

Leonard’s voice was derisive and he could tell that Jim could tell he didn’t believe him. The kid just shrugged a shoulder blithely. “My mum likes it out here? I dunno, I never really felt like moving away.” McCoy frowned. "But y- you're not. Y'know." The kid grinned and pulled his arms over his head, cawing. "All feathers and beak?" he asked, wiggling his fingers. " McCoy rolled his eyes, and Jim conceded a little, dropping his arms and shrugging again, shoulders looking lost inside a slightly-too-big hoodie. "I 'unno, magic and stuff. I can do the whole "giant flaming winged bird of fire" thing but it's not really good for daily interactions."

"But what about, I dunno… other phoenixes? Isn't there some sort of society or whatever?" Jim's smile grew slightly stale at that. "Not really. Phoenixes are nomadic, normally, and the alpha males don't get along with young kids trying to get up in their territory. I'm pretty much grounded." He pulled a grin back onto his face, but Len could tell a sore-spot when he hit one, and he responded with a noncommittal grunt, releasing the conversation to silence for a few hours as the minibus flew down the road under the climbing sun.

“So what about you?”

He should’ve expected the question. He was sure he’d hear it a lot and although he could likely just fob Jim Kirk off, he felt like after his own too-curious questions, it was only fair that he give a little in kind. Plus, what did he have to lose? Every tie he’d had was severed: clinically clean cut as he’d surgically removed himself from the human world. He huffed out and ran a hand over the back of his neck, grimacing.

“I, ah, I got a little bit savaged on a full moon,” he muttered. Kirk’s eyebrow’s pulled together over those absurd blue eyes as the pieces of Leonard’s life story thudded into place. “So you’re new to all this then?” he said, voice cracking as it rose with intuition. Len grunted an affirmation and a strange expression stole over his new friend’s face. “Well.. y’know. Sorry about that, doc. It’s not too fun ending up on the bottom of the heap here, is it?”

“At least you got control over what y’ do.”

Jim looked almost wounded and the doctor immediately realised he’d spoken a little harshly. He sighed and started on an apology but the kid shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so…” the kid wrinkled his nose, “I ‘unno. But it’s not that bad. I mean it’s not as simple as, you know. Work and mortgage repayments and bus stops and-“

“And the lack of constant mortal peril?”

“Man! You’re a real sunny guy aren’t you? Last time I try cheering you up!”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Once again the younger of the pair looked stricken, but then a slightly wicked grin stole over his face. “I’ll just have to try harder,” he chirped. McCoy groaned extensively, already feeling that he’d made a huge mistake ever engaging Kirk in conversation.

***

The vague shapes of the foothills of the Rockies were shifting in and out in the darkness. Chris had swapped with his fellow from the academy a while ago, and Leo could see his silhouette lent to the side as the wizard dozed in the front passenger seat. Most of the rest of the group was also unconscious, including his neighbour. In fact, Kirk was asleep right against the doctor’s shoulder. The first time he’d done it, McCoy had just flipped him back onto the other side. The kid had kept right on sleeping, and a little while later had turned onto his side and done it again. He’d given up around the fifth or sixth attempt and was now nursing his rapidly emptying flask and contemplating sleep himself. It was odd, after having hours on end of Kirk's nonstop chatter, to see him prone and unguarded- his face looked slightly wiser, older, smarter when he was sleeping, as if that aggravating grin he always wore slid off to reveal the true individual underneath. He already had the feeling that this stupid lost boy was going to get him into a lot of trouble in the future- he had the air of a baby bird that the doctor just didn't trust not to get into huge amounts of danger if left to wander alone.

He caught himself staring as his eyelids nodded and quickly redirected his gaze to the back of the seat in front. Len had been resisting sleep mostly out of stubbornness- it had been the longest time he’d managed to stay awake at once recently, and it was a little liberating to refuse to make sensible decisions based on work ethic. Of course, it could’ve been Pike’s magic coffee: the stuff had had him feeling better than he had in a long, long while. It suddenly occurred to the doctor that the man had slipped something in there on purpose upon noticing how fatigued he’d appeared in his office. Usually he’d be griping about having someone attempt to doctor a doctor, but the monthly transformations took it out of him so much that he could only be grateful. He squinted at the man’s slight silhouette and grumbled internally, letting his head flop back onto his seat as sleep hit him like a blunt object.

He dreamt of the moon, as he often did. The shining orb dominated his thoughts a lot of the time, sliding like a knife into his rest and accompanied by unearthly sounds and a bone deep chill, as if the silver light was poison coursing relentlessly through his veins. He could feel it tracking through the sky, like an unfriendly, menacing presence watching him from a great distance. That night, however, it was a dim red, shrouded in cloud and too dark to properly illuminate his dreamscape. He was stumbling through a long, flat desert, choking on sand and visions of the place he’d stood as the centre of some old civilisation. He knew, in the intuitive way you know things in dreams, that where he stood had not always been a barren place. In among the dust, there were remains of structures, half buried in the sands and abandoned. The moon loomed huge overhead, appearing to sit grinning on the horizon, and between it and Leonard were endless quiet buildings and the howling of the wind.

The next morning, he was awoken by the feeling of an elbow on his chest and the sound of Kirk’s voice. Even before he was fully conscious, irritation had manifested associated with the kids’ smug tones, and he let out a vague growling mumble as he opened his eyes. “Wharyoudoin?” The first thing he resolved was Jim’s chin, and he narrowly avoided knocking his head on it. He had, apparently, been leaning across Len to conduct a conversation with the girl sat on the other side of the minibus. He narrowly avoided headbutting the younger man on the chin as he sat up, pressing his fingers to his face. “Morning Bones,” said the infuriatingly cheery voice.

“Morning what?”

“Bones! You know, like sawbones? Cos you’re a doctor-“

“Am I?” he growled in murderous sarcasm.

“I’m glad your obnoxious attitude seems to extend past just me,” a voice said demurely. Len turned to see the woman from across the aisle shooting his neighbour a look that might’ve wilted stones (which Jim was, obviously, meeting with a cordial grin). “I’m just naturally charming, I guess,” he winked. She rolled her eyes and turned sympathetically to Leonard. “You sure drew the short straw there,” she said, and the doctor nodded emphatically. “Oh, you guys love me,” Jim drawled, earning dual noises of disgust.

“It’s good to see you’re continuing your excellent history of social relations, Kirk,” commented a voice dryly. The trio looked up to see that Pike, wobbling with the motion of the bus and looking distinctly dishevelled.

“Me and Doctor McCoy are practically best friends already!” Jim informed him cheerily. The teacher raised an eyebrow at Len, who met his look with a deadpan expression. “So I can see…” he said slowly, before nodding to the regal seeming stranger on Len’s left hand. “Miss Uhura,” he greeted her, and she nodded back with a smile. “Good morning sir,” she said.

“We’ll be stopping shortly to refuel and get food,” he informed them, in a slightly louder voice so that the rest of the bus could also hear him, “We’ll be there for around an hour so you’ll get a chance to get some breakfast and stretch your legs.” There was a general murmur of satisfaction and most of the sleepy looking passengers were suddenly animated, wriggling upright and stretching in their seats. Len let his head flop back onto the seat and let out a scraping sigh. "We wont be travelling for much longer, doctor," came Pike's voice from somewhere above him, "You might be able to get a little more sleep during today as well."

"Wasn't th' bus," he mumbled, still half in a doze and unaware that he was being observed by three pairs of curious eyes, "Had a goddamn odd dream, even for me."

"What kind of dream?"

He opened his eyes to see the woman from across the aisle gazing intently at him. He levered himself back into a sitting position and frowned, glancing between her and Pike cautiously. "I dunno, a nightmare, as usual? Aint that uncommon, 'specially around here, 'm sure." He looked imploringly at the older man for an exit to the conversation, but his attention was on the woman, who was now looking wide awake and almost alarmed. "Sometimes dreams aren’t just dreams. If there was any change from your usual nightmares-" Len scowled and turned back to looking at her, wishing more than anything else he'd just kept his damn mouth shut- "It would be sensible to follow it up."

"Uhura is a daughter of Hermes, the Greek god of messengers," said Pike, and the doctor's eyebrows shot up as he looked at her with renewed interest. "No way," he said, looking to her to deny this. Uhura only smiled tightly and shrugged. "All I'm saying is that sometimes, dreams can be messages, doctor. Just play it safe, yeah?"

Len rubbed his chin, feeling a six o'clock shadow pricking his fingertips, and he nodded. "Yeah, sure."

***

The rest stop was just about deserted, save for a collection truckers nodding off over coffees and a few indeterminate birds tossing themselves around the parking lot like plastic bags. The soon-to-be students ambled around, most of them settling on the plastic tables of the cafeteria like sparrows on power lines. Bones, for lack of anything else to do, followed Jim through the queue, ending up with just a coffee, and, still in a half-asleep stupor, sat down next to him as he industriously set about chatting Uhura up.

"So what kinda thing are you gonna study when you get to the academy?" Jim was asking the incredibly unimpressed woman. Instead of attempting to avert Jim's incoming catastrophe, McCoy simply decided to try and get through as much of his coffee as he could before Uhura seized it and dumped it all over the idiot kid. "Xenolinguistics," she replied demurely, over the top of a cup of tea, "You have no idea what that means."

Jim lent forwards with a winning smile. "It's the study of non-human languages, morphology, phonology. Means you've got a talented tongue."

Uhura raised an eyebrow as Leonard mirrored the movement, more surprised by the knowledge that such a subject existed than that Kirk knew what it was. "I'm impressed!" said the woman, running a finger around the rim of her mug. The kid's grin got wider, clearly not recognising a severely wound up young lady when he saw one. Len knew better than to intervene, but almost choked when he heard the next words out of Jim's mouth.

"Maybe you could find out how talented my tongue i-"

The slap that landed on him wasn't unexpected (to everyone but Jim apparently), but the shit eating grin that followed perhaps was. McCoy swore, dumped his unfinished coffee on the table and hauled the kid up by the arm, shooting Uhura an apologetic glance. She just let her eyes slide disgustedly away from the dishevelled child as the doctor towed him away, already getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach about how many times he was likely to have to do this in the future. "Y'had that comin," he informed Jim, as they walked across the parking lot between the two buildings at the rest stop, squinting in the early morning sun. "Can you blame a guy for tryin' though?" protested the younger man, wriggling free as Len's grip on his jacket relaxed. Leonard shook his head and chuckled. "At this time o' the mornin', kid?"

"You look the happiest I've seen you so far," grumbled Jim, rubbing his cheek. The doctor snorted as they wandered into the convenience store, "She didn't hit ya that hard, stop massaging yourself like you've cracked your cheekbone," he smirked, as Jim dropped his hand and pouted. Len shook his head, a fond grin working it's way onto his lips in spite of himself as he opened the fridge to grab a few cans of soda for the ride. It was that point that Pike entered the small convenience store, looking white as a sheet. He quickly spotted the pair of them, and McCoy returned the sodas to the shelf grimly, tugging Kirk's arm as he wove between racks of chips and pretzels to meet with the old wizard behind a display of cheetos. "What's wrong?" asked Kirk, reading something unnerving in Pike's expression. The man glanced around and ducked his head, motioning for McCoy and Kirk to do the same.

"An incredibly dangerous hunter just pulled into the parking lot. We haven't much time, where is everyone else?"

McCoy's stomach dropped, and he unconsciously clasped a hand on Jim's arm. Various curses flew through his head as he fixed Pike with an imploring gaze. "What do we do?" he asked, at the same time Kirk said, "They're in the diner." The cafeteria was a small distance away from the convenience store, which was attached to the pumps. It had it's own parking lot, which was where the minibus had been moved after being refilled. Pike glanced out of the window and tugged the pair of men out a side door of the building. "You two go and get everyone on the bus, quietly. I'll stay here and check to see if he's here for us, or just-"

Pike's sentence was abruptly ended by the door they were pacing away from slamming open with an ear-splitting bang, to reveal a muscled looking man, dark hair slicked back and an incredibly ugly expression on his scarred face. The wizard turned immediately and threw his hands up in front of him, causing a glowing bubble of energy to appear before him, deflecting bullets that the man was firing from a handgun. "Run!" ordered Pike, pushing Jim towards the diner and dodging another hail of bullets. Bones took off towards the diner, following the blond as he zig-zagged across the parking lot and ducked behind someone's car. McCoy paused, looking back to where flashes of light and metallic clangs were emanating as the wizard deftly bobbed back and forth, occupying the much more imposing man as he avoided the barrage of gunfire. "We gotta help him," said Jim, holding his hand out. A small flame sprang from his fingertips and sat in his palm, throwing his features into faltering light. "That man's a maniac!" protested McCoy, "We've gotta get everyone out!"

"Pike's not gonna last on his own, he needs some help," insisted Kirk, turning to fix his eyes' on Len's "Seriously, I'm used to fights, I can do this. Go get the others onto the van." He gave him a tiny push with his other hand, and the doctor felt himself rock away and then back towards the young man with a fistful of flames. Jim's face looked animated- the young man asleep on his chest was awake now, devoid of false bravado and unmasaked. McCoy realised this was the person Pike needed on his team- this was the Jim Kirk that needed to be brought to bear. Gritting his teeth, he came to the conclusion that there wasn't time to argue (if he knew one thing about Jim already, it was that he was stubborn as hell). "Keep that shit away from gas tanks," he advised, before turning and sprinting towards the diner.

Slamming through the doors, and, thankfully, drawing the eyes of a fair few members of their party, Len immediately found the woman from Saggitarius and made a beeline for her. "There's a hunter in the car park, Pike and Kirk went to distract him, we gotta get everyone back on the minibus NOW." The woman stood, spilling crumbs everywhere as she looked out the window, following the gaze of where a fair few people were now looking, as bursts of flame joined the blue flashes of light and glint of silver bullets. "Everyone, keep to cover, get to the bus quickly and calmly," she ordered, voice cutting over the sound of growing murmurs. He watched her head off to help the few nearest the door, and was suddenly aware of another person at his side. Looking around, he found himself face to face with Uhura, her eyes wide and alert. "Where's Kirk and Pike?" she asked, voice not wobbling an iota. "They’re fighting with our friend out there," he muttered, taking her by the elbow as they made towards the door. "How are they going to get out of the fight once everyone's on the bus?" she asked. McCoy shook his head helplessly, "There really wasn't a lot of time to get that far with the plan," he said, as she pulled him into cover behind an old hatchback as a few deflected bullets scattered across the car park, to frightened yelps from the other recruits.

Uhura shook her head as they arrived at the doors of the minibus. Most of the students were already on board, and the Sagittarius rep was beckoning them onto the bus. "We gotta get Kirk and Pike," growled McCoy, and she sighed exasperatedly, "We will. We just have to get close enough, then I can phase them onto the bus."

"Phase?"

"It's like teleporting," Uhura explained, peering out from behind the cover of the now slightly bullet-ridden bus to assess the situation. Len peered out also, watching as Jim hurled handfuls of pure flame at the assailant, whilst Pike parried the man's myriad of projectiles. "It's too chaotic, they're moving about too much and there isn't enough time," she said, and the doctor nodded in agreement. "They need a distraction, even if it's just momentary," she said, "They're barely holding him off us now as it is." The Sagittarius woman- Janice, Len felt her name was, ran a hand over her lips. "Uhura, you draw his fire. I'll get close as I can to give Kirk and Pike a chance to get in here. You need to be right behind them. Grumpy doctor, you have to let them know it's time to go. Lean out the door and holler at them til they come running, got it?"

McCoy frowned, glancing between the two women. "Why send Uhura to draw their fire?" he asked, stomach twisting with concern. Uhura only grinned. "I'm not just a daughter of Hermes," she said, with just a hint of smugness. "I'm a half breed. My mother's side doesn't come out as strongly, but-" she held her hand out, and Len felt vaguely faint as he watched the skin turn to scales, small tough diamonds that rippled over her entire body, "It's fairly useful."

Without further explanation, the now armour-plated young woman tore towards the site of the scuffle, also hurling fire like Kirk. He almost fell from the open door as the minibus lurched after her, but he held on for grim death, leaning out as Uhura delivered a ferocious barrage of fireballs, slamming into the muscled hunter and keeping him from firing. "JIM, CHRIS," bellowed McCoy from the doorway, and Jim immediately turned towards his voice, sprinting towards the doors, hurling fireballs every few metres. Pike arrived a few moments afterwards, more or less collapsing onto the bus. Uhura was already retreating, having managed to get the hunter with his arms over his face. Risking turning away, she lowered herself into a sprint, but as Len watched in horror, their assailant recovered himself, levelling the barrel of his gun at the retreating half-dragoness. With a wordless yell, he threw himself out of the minibus, closing the gap between him and Uhura and dragging her out of the path of another hail of bullets. Pike, leaning out of the door, deflected the stream, as Len became aware of a searing pain in his left arm. He was pushing Uhura into the open side of the minibus, tripping in himself, falling over Pike's legs as the man hurled more energy out of the door. The engine growled and they were all thrown sideways as they lurched away, with Jim and Uhura still hurling fire from the side. "We're away, we're away," breathed Pike, as they fell back into the van. The wizard took another look out of the side as the hunter vanished behind the gas pumps, before slamming the door shut and falling against it.

"Everyone alright?" barked Janice from the front. "We're all on board," came Uhura's voice from somewhere above Len, who was lying where he had entered the minibus, feeling every jolt of the road through the floor. Pike grabbed the back of a seat and hauled himself upright with some assistance from Uhura, loping to the front of the bus to talk to Janice. Len grunted in pain as he sat up, realising there was a long, shallow graze along one of his arms. Jim swore loudly at the sight of the blood and pivoted where he was, one hand steadying himself on the seat behind McCoy's head as he crouched in front of the doctor. "Uuuuuh, Mr Pike, sir," he called, his face dipping and wavering in Len's slightly blurred vision. Footsteps came clomping down the bus as Uhura's expression bobbed into view, terse and worried, shortly before being replaced by Pike's. "Oh, hell," he muttered, taking the doctor's arm carefully in his and examining the wound. "Don' understan'," mumbled Leonard, confusion and dizziness making his tongue slide in his mouth, accent bleeding out, "'S only a graze…-"

"They were silver bullets," said Uhura, her voice tight but calm, "They're bad for a lot of supernaturals, but especially werewolves." Len looked from her to his arm and frowned. The wound didn't look like a normal graze- the skin was angry and inflamed, as if it had been burned, not just cut. "'S that why I can't-" he scowled and gritted his teeth, pulling his vision into focus with a herculean effort, "Ssee straight right now?" Pike nodded grimly, letting out a deep breath. "It's not life threatening, not yet, but it'll need attention sooner rather than later." The man stood again, observing Len for a moment with a thoughtful frown, before turning to Jim and Uhura. "You two, get him onto a seat and comfortable. I'm going to see if I can-" he was interrupted by a yell from the back of the bus. "It's him, it's that man!" someone cried, and then: "He's gonna catch up!" Pike gave the injured man another quick look, before heading towards the back of the bus, followed by Uhura. Leonard gritted his teeth and pressed onto his arm with his hand. "What're you doing!?" yelped Jim, before being fixed with the most sardonic look the doctor could manage whilst flirting with unconsciousness. "'m a damn doctor," he growled, letting instinct take over. Apply pressure, stop the bleeding. It'd be easy if he didn't feel so damn feeble and dizzy. He was vaguely aware of shouting, Janice and Pike's voices barking orders and ideas to and fro. He felt like maybe Uhura came back, explaining something to Jim whilst she squeezed his good arm reassuringly. He was vaguely aware of Pike shouting for them to brace themselves, Jim was holding him in place, and then the bus gave an almighty lurch, and he slipped into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahhhhhaah. Hey. I neglected this for the longest time because I'm a pile of actual junk. BUT. I got my shit together and got it functioning again. Many thanks to Nikita as always for her enthusiasm, and atanvarnie of tumblr for giving me some tips and pointers. I wanted to fix the first chapter up before I posted this but I decided that I wanted to get this out here first. I will be taking another look at chapter one and possibly extending it, so keep an eye out for that I guess.
> 
> Crit always welcome! I want and need to improve my writing so if there's something you think could be fixed, please! Other than that, thanks so much for reading!


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